2003
Events January * – Illinois Governor commutes the death sentences of 167 prisoners on Illinois's death row based on the scandal. * – The last signal from NASA's spacecraft is received, some 12.2 billion kilometers (7.6 billion mi) from . * – , becoming the second country in the world to do so. February * – At the conclusion of the mission, the over , killing all seven astronauts on board. * – The is renamed to the "State Union of Serbia and Montenegro" (or "Serbia and Montenegro" for short) as its leaders reconstitute the country into a loose state-union between and , marking an end to the 73-year-long use of the name "Yugoslavia" by a sovereign state. * – – : An Italian gang steals loose diamonds, gold and jewellery valued at more than $100 million from a Belgian vault, one of the largest robberies in history. * – Millions of people worldwide take part in massive in anticipation of the United States and its allies invading . * – An arsonist in Daegu, South Korea, killing 192 people. * - occurs in , killing 100 people and injuring 230 and another 132 escape uninjured. * – The begins after rebel groups rise up against the Sudanese government. * – Former Bosnian Serb leader is sentenced by the United Nations to 11 years in prison for war crimes committed during the . March * – approves joining the in . * ** n Prime Minister by a sniper. ** The issues a global alert on when it spreads to and after originating in . * – The begins with the of by the U.S. and allied forces. * – approves joining the European Union and in . April * – U.S. forces , ending the of . * – approves joining the European Union in . * – The is completed, with 99% of the human sequenced to 99.99% accuracy. * – The United States announces the withdrawal of its troops stationed in , and the redeployment of some at the in . May * ** table sculpture is stolen from the in . ** approves joining the European Union in . * – In , Saudi Arabia, over 30 people are killed in , mostly foreign expatriates. * – approves joining the European Union in . * – , the first deer cloned by scientists at , is born. * – adopts a new constitution, which, among other things, changes the country's official name from "Rwandese Republic" to "Republic of Rwanda". * – , the world's first cloned , is born. June * – approves joining the European Union in . * – The approves joining the European Union in . * – Warring parties in the sign a peace accord, bringing an end to the , which left millions dead. July * – Severe acute respiratory syndrome is declared to be contained by the World Health Organization. * – The 70-meter Eupatoria Planetary Radar sends a message to five stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409, , and , that will arrive at these stars in , , May , September 2044 and respectively. * – The finishes its work and proposes the first European Constitution. * – The , led by , begins after ethnic violence engulfs the island country. August * - The occurred on 5 August 2003 in J.W. Marriott Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, Indonesia, killing twelve people and injuring 150. The hotel was closed for five weeks and reopened to the public on 8 September. * ** The comes to an end after President resigns and flees the country. ** NATO takes over command of the in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history. * - The cuts electricity to the northeastern United States and parts of Canada. * – One year old Zachary Turner is in , Canada. She had controversially been bailed and granted custody of the toddler despite facing extradition and trial for the murder of Zachary's father. The case inspired the movie and prompted a change in Canadian law. * – The unmanned is launched from , . * ** makes its to Earth in over 60,000 years. ** The first , involving South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, convene to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns of the . September * – Europe's busiest shopping centre , the in , is officially opened. * – approves joining the European Union in . * – rebels kidnap eight foreign tourists at , , being freed 100 days later following negotiations with the Colombian government. * – approves joining the European Union in . * – The starts the , making 800 exposures, until January 16, 2004. * – , an unmanned spaceprobe and ESA's first mission to the moon, is launched from , . October * – i warplanes alleged Islamic jihad bases inside n territory, the first Israeli attack on the country since the 1973 . * – China launches , their first . * – makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of airliner to an end. November * – at an military police headquarters in , , kills 17 Italian military police officers and nine Iraqi civilians. * – resigns after engulf the country following a disputed . * – The supersonic passenger jet, , makes its last ever flight from in London to . December * – , the former , in the small town of by the U.S. Army. * – agrees to eliminate all of its materials, equipment, and programs aimed at . * ** The becomes a specialized agency of the . ** Chuandongbei natural gas field explosion, Guoqiao, Kai County, , China, killing at least 234. * – The 6.6 shakes southeastern with a maximum of IX (Violent), killing an estimated 30,000 people. * – The last known speaker of the dies, rendering it extinct. Category:Timeline